The Good News and the Bad News

From: Marilyn (aerick@sjm.infi.net)
Tue Oct 12 19:19:11 1999


Just to add my two cents worth on doctors. My original GI doc retired a couple of years ago, and I knew that I'd never find another that could measure up. He was everything that you long for in a doctor, but can't find anymore! Reassuring, compassionate, knowledgable, and all with a great sense of humor. Whether it was true or not, he made me feel like he really cared about what was wrong with me, and he always diagnosed correctly and if I had any kind of tests, he would call me on the phone to give me the results.

I Just dreaded having to start from scratch with someone new, going through all the old history, etc. But since I had had colon surgery, I knew I should be checked out for polyps or worse. So I finally saw a new doc last week. He was polite, impersonal, and efficient. Didn't ask me any specific questions about my history, except the dates of my different surgeries, and yes, that I needed a colonoscopy. He scheduled it for today, and walked out of the room.

That was it, until I saw him in the hospital today for the procedure. He walked in, did the colonoscopy, told me it was fine and I didn't need another one for five years. (that was the good news!) Then he started to walk out and I asked him to wait, that I wanted to discuss my adhesions---that I had had the NG tube once, and had come close recently to coming in, in the middle of the night. (However, I had barely avoided it by resorting to my old doctor's "little bag of tricks"---which almost didn't work this last time.)

His reply (with one foot out the door) was that he never touches adhesions, that surgery for them makes them no better and sometimes worse, and that it's a waste of his time and my money and hopeless, in the long run. The sad part of it is, he's probably right.

Sorry I went on so long, but needed to get it off my chest.

--
Marilyn

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